Seroprevalence of sensu lato and Infections in German Horses.

There are limited data on Lyme borreliosis (LB), a tick-borne disease caused by the sensu lato complex, in horses. Seropositivity is not necessarily associated with clinical disease. Data on seropositivity against and in German horses are sparse. Therefore, serum samples from horses ( = 123) suspected of having Lyme borreliosis and clinically healthy horses ( = 113) from the same stables were tested for specific antibodies against sensu lato and . The samples were screened for antibodies against (ELISA and an IgG line immunoblot assay). Furthermore, the samples were examined for antibodies against and with a validated rapid in-house test (SNAP 4Dx Plus ELISA). The clinical signs of suspect horses included lameness ( = 36), poor performance ( = 19), and apathy ( = 12). Twenty-three percent ( = 26) of suspect horses and 17% ( = 18) of clinically healthy horses were seropositive for having a sensu lato infection ( = 0.371), showing that the detection of specific antibodies against alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis of equine LB. seropositivity and seropositivity against both pathogens was 20%/6% in suspect horses and 16%/2% in the clinically healthy population, showing only minor differences ( = 0.108). Unspecific testing for antibodies against without clinical suspicion of Lyme borreliosis is not recommended since the clinical relevance of seropositivity against sensu lato remains to be elucidated.